The tea factory was under the management of Manager Cai.

The tea factory had always implemented a system where tea masters took on apprentices. The master was responsible for the apprentice’s character, tea-making skills, and even family situation. Since these new apprentices were all chosen by the masters themselves, Ye Chongming felt there wouldn’t be major issues.

Therefore, after seeing Manager Cai accept his gift and nod in agreement, Cao Dazhu felt the matter was settled. Upon returning home, he had his grandson deliver a message to Cao Wu, telling him to prepare to enter the tea factory and not to take on any other work shortly.

When Cao Wu heard this, he was so happy that he brought two more packages of pastries to thank Cao Dazhu.

After leaving Cao Dazhu’s house, he didn’t go home but went to his friend Chen San’s place and told him, “It worked, I’ll be an apprentice.”

Chen San was immediately delighted and took out a small piece of silver worth half a tael, giving it to him: “This is money for you to use for bribes. Perform well and try to be selected to make jasmine tea. When your elder cousin returns, don’t forget to learn as much as you can from him.”

He looked around and lowered his voice: “If you can learn how to make Longjing tea, they’ll give you this much.”

He held up five fingers.

Cao Wu’s eyes lit up: “Five taels?”

“Hmph.” Chen San gave him a sidelong glance. “Fifty taels. If you can find out exactly how it’s made and produce genuine Longjing tea, even five hundred taels wouldn’t be a problem.”

“But let me tell you,” Chen San whispered, “even if it’s not Longjing tea, but jasmine tea, if you can learn the true production method, you can still get five hundred taels of silver.”

Cao Wu drew in a sharp breath and excitedly rubbed his hands together.

“Is it not dangerous?” he asked, still concerned.

“What danger could there be?” Chen San said. “You tell me, then I quietly tell others, and no one will ever know. So many people in the tea factory know how to make Longjing tea and jasmine tea, who would know who leaked the information?”

“If we don’t speak up, but others do, then they’ll be the ones making that money.”

He glanced at Cao Wu: “You’re already twenty years old. I’m only a year older than you, and I already have a child who can run errands, while you’re still single. If you don’t do this, when will you ever be able to afford a wife?”

He patted Cao Wu on the shoulder: “If I weren’t working as a waiter in the teahouse, quitting that job to learn tea-making at the factory would raise suspicions, and I wouldn’t need you to take action. Since I can’t do it myself, I need your help.”

Seeing Cao Wu remain silent, he said, “It’s just you and your mother. I have a whole family to support. If I dare to do it, what are you afraid of? Let me tell you, in matters like this, the bold feast while the timid starve.”

These words finally made Cao Wu make up his mind: “All right, I’ll do it.”

…

Meanwhile, after dealing with her parents and seeing off Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji, Ye Yaming planned to make jasmine tea.

“What? You want to buy people?” When Ye Chongming and Ye Hongsheng learned that Ye Yaming didn’t want to use people from the tea factory but instead planned to buy people from outside to make jasmine tea, they found it incomprehensible.

“Do you feel the people in the tea factory aren’t trustworthy? Then why let them make Longjing tea?” Ye Chongming couldn’t understand.

“Also, so many people are trying to discover our Longjing tea secret formula. If you buy people from outside, aren’t you afraid someone might take the opportunity to plant spies?”

“I plan to keep the group making Longjing tea in the mountains until we’ve sold the Longjing tea formula, then let them come down,” Ye Yaming said.

She looked at Ye Chongming: “Do you know why I don’t dare let them come down the mountain and return home?”

Ye Chongming thought for a moment, and as if realizing something, his expression changed: “You mean their families? But they’ve been estate servants for generations; they shouldn’t betray the Ye family, right? Even if they had money, they couldn’t spend it freely.”

Estate servants, like household servants, were legally unable to own private property; even they and their children belonged to the master’s family.

But reasonably speaking, rewarding hard work encouraged people to work diligently. The Ye family’s household and estate servants could acquire wealth through their hard work and wisdom, living better lives than other servants.

This naturally bred some people who wanted to gain without working.

Previously, the Ye family’s tea-making methods were basically the same as other families’, with differences only in small details during the process, which Ye Hongsheng controlled by feel. Even if someone came to spy, they couldn’t learn much.

Therefore, Ye Chongming hadn’t implemented very thorough security measures. Allowing the children of estate servants to move around and find work in teahouses, tea shops, and tea factories was a major loophole.

Seeing that Ye Chongming had figured it out himself, Ye Yaming didn’t say more, only saying, “The people I buy, whether they’re spies or not, as long as they don’t have contact with the outside world, there won’t be an issue of leaking secrets.”

“Besides, I don’t plan to buy them in the Ye family’s name, but have the Qi family do it for us. I’ve already discussed this with Young Master Qi, and he will have the Qi family’s manager handle it for us, without troubling Prefect Qi and Mrs. Qi.”

Upon hearing that the Qi family would help with the purchase, Ye Chongming had no more concerns.

After all, the Qi family had a stake in their business. Ye Yaming had said that the jasmine tea formula would not cost them silver but would be given to them as a gift.

Half of the people currently learning tea-making with Ye Yaming would be assigned to make osmanthus tea for their cooperative businesses in autumn.

“That’s good. With the prefect’s family involved, I’m reassured.”

At this moment, Lu’E entered and whispered something in Ye Yaming’s ear.

“Let him in,” Ye Yaming said.

Lu’E went out, and immediately afterward, Zan’er entered.

“How many have been identified?” Ye Yaming asked.

“Three.”

“Which three? Tell me about their situations,” Ye Yaming instructed.

“One is Wei Zheng’s brother-in-law, a waiter at the tea shop. Someone saw him drinking with the manager from Old Master Chen’s household in the east of the city twice, and recently he’s been quite well-off.”

“Another is Chen San, a waiter at the teahouse. He has been in contact with the manager of a merchant from the capital several times recently. The third is Pan Dalin, the youngest son of Master Pan from the tea factory, who manages the storehouse at the tea shop. He’s been seen drinking and visiting brothels with a servant from Old Master Zhang’s household in the west of the city.”

Ye Chongming’s expression grew increasingly grim as he listened.

Over the years, although he had handed over the tea factory to his second son and the tea shop to Ye Hongrong, the estate servants had worked for the Ye family for generations, and he was very familiar with these people. Many had been placed in their positions by him.

Now, these people were working against the family’s interests, helping outsiders steal the Ye family’s tea-making secrets. He had believed estate servants wouldn’t betray the Ye family and had opposed Ye Yaming buying people from outside.

“Arrest them all, along with their families. I want to ask what grievances they have against the Ye family that would make them do this,” he said angrily.

The Ye family had always treated their servants well. Compared to servants in other households, the Ye family’s servants lived quite well. So Ye Chongming felt that even if there were betrayals, they would be isolated cases. Most servants would remain grateful.

But they had caught three just in a casual sweep, and this was just the beginning. If left unchecked, who knew how many more there would be.